Currently industrially useful as preparation of acrylic acid is a preparation method including bringing propylene produced by a petrochemical process into contact with a molecular oxygen-containing gas so as to oxidize it. Specifically, acrylic acid is prepared via a two-step reaction mechanism including a first step for gas oxidation of propylene into acrolein by a molecular oxygen-containing gas and a second step for additional oxidation of a reactive gas containing the acrolein into acrylic acid.
Meanwhile, methods of preparing acrylic acid from a biomass-derived material due to fossil fuel exhaustion are receiving great attention. Among biomass-derived materials, glycerol is obtained as a byproduct in the course of producing biodiesel from vegetable or animal oil. Biodiesel synthesis techniques have been already commercialized, and the demand thereof is increasing every year. Glycerol may be used in a large amount, and is renewable and eco-friendly because it may be safely stored and transported without the risk of explosion and toxicity. Hence, glycerol is considered to be a promising material for preparing acrylic acid.
Thus, there is an urgent need for a novel method of preparing acrylic acid from glycerol that is a byproduct of a biodiesel synthesis process.